Aiding female refugees in Germany in their job searches
In Germany, where many refugees have found a new home, women face significant challenges in securing employment. These challenges stem from three key areas: language skills, recognition of foreign qualifications, and access to child care.
Language proficiency is a major barrier for many female refugees, with women often having less German language proficiency compared to men. This hinders employment opportunities and integration into the German society. Refugees with higher education value knowledge of the national language highly, as it is crucial for securing jobs that match their qualifications.
Recognition of foreign professional qualifications is another hurdle for female refugees. Despite being highly educated and motivated, many women face difficulties in having their qualifications recognised in Germany. This exacerbates labor market exclusion and prevents them from rebuilding their careers.
The caregiving responsibilities that disproportionately affect female refugees further compound these issues. The labor market gender gap between refugee men and women is a staggering 46 percentage points, largely due to the caregiving burden that limits women's availability for work and participation in language or training programs.
Despite these challenges, there are success stories. Donya, a refugee from Afghanistan who arrived in Germany in 2016, has been working as a care worker for the elderly for two years. After facing threats and losing her husband, Donya fled Afghanistan and found help through the Work for Refugees Project, a project run by GIZ and other cooperation partners.
Another inspiring story is that of Hala Younis, a former teacher who arrived on a humanitarian visa from Syria in 2022. With the help of ReDi School of Digital Integration, which provides training in digital skills and access to a network of tech leaders, students, and alumni, Hala found a job as a customer relationship manager with the online fashion platform Zalando.
Grassroots projects and organisations, often staffed by women who have fled to Germany, are playing a crucial role in supporting refugees. Afsaneh Afraze, a psychologist who fled to Germany from Iran in 2014, is one such example. She is critical of the one-size-fits-all approach in integration courses in Germany and is working to create more tailored solutions.
The Work for Refugees Project offers free one-to-one counseling sessions, CV workshops, and helps to place people in suitable jobs. They also refer clients to other organisations that have special programs for women. Women refugee volunteers, like Donya herself, serve as role models for other refugees.
Studies show that refugee women face a threefold disadvantage, being disadvantaged as women, immigrants, and refugees. However, with the help of projects like Work for Refugees and organisations like ReDi, these women are finding ways to overcome these barriers and integrate into German society.
Tent Deutschland, an organisation that organises job fairs to help refugees find work through its network of 80 companies, is another valuable resource. Despite the challenges, there is hope for female refugees in Germany to find employment and build a new life.
References:
[1] OECD (2020). Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) 2020: Germany. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/migration/migrant-integration-policy-index-mipex/mipex-2020-germany.pdf [4] Bundesagentur für Arbeit (2020). Integration durch Arbeit. Retrieved from https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/laenderinformationen/deutschland/themen/integration-durch-arbeit.html [5] Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW) (2019). Qualifikationsausweis für Flüchtlinge: Anerkennung und Nutzung. Retrieved from https://www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/75/diw_01.c.547190.de/qualifikationsausweis-fuer-fluechtlinge-anerkennung-und-nutzung.pdf
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